Retractor



June 19, 1956 D P, @ROVER 2,750,846

RETRACTOR Filed Sept. 5, 1954 C5 Sheecs-Shesekl 1 N l v C0 IU' f co co l d) D 1 O Q D IN V EN TOR.

D Engl/:11d E Erm/E1 JMWmm/@W June i9, 1956 D. P. GROVER RETRACTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 3, 1954 June 19, w56 D. P. GROVER 2,750,846

RETRACTOR Filed Sept. 5, 1954 3 Sl'lee'bS-Shee'll 3 INVEN TOR.

Dipl d EFDVEF Wf' .Q2u/- HTTOE'NEY 1 nited States Patent RETRACTOR Donald P. Grover, Chicago, Ill., assgnor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Application September 3, 1954, Serial No. 454,238

8 Claims. (Cl. 89-33) My invenh'on relates to a revolver-type automatic weapon having a drum with chambers for rotating cartridges to a tiring position therein and more particularly to a safety device for rotating the drum to prevent ring thereof when the weapon is out of action.

Such a weapon is principally employed in aircraft for remote control by the crew thereof and usually includes a recoil unit supporting a barrel and a drum with cartridge chambers and corresponding rollers rotatably disposed on the recoil unit. An actuator is spring-biased to a battery position to retain a chamber of the drum in axial alignment with the barrel and disposed in the recoil unit for slidable reciprocation responsive to discharge of cartridges chambered in the ring position.

In the majority of models of the revolver-type weapon, the drum is accelerated and decelerated in rotation by sequential engagement of an actuator cam with an adjacent pair of the rollers responsive to the reciprocation. The transfer of roller engagement occurs at substantially the end of the recoil stroke, and momentum carries the drum between the roller engagements. Since the actuator is biased to a battery position, a live cartridge is necessarily chambered in the firing position when normal operation of the weapon is interrupted.

The cartridges fired in the weapon are providedwith primers for electrical detonation and in some instances,- cartridges have discharged when an aircraft was landing, once even killing a man standing on an airfield.

Whether the cartridges were discharged due to mechanical shock or to static electrical disturbances is unknown but the primer is known to be unstable enough to be detonated by a relatively slight mechanical shock.

For complete protection of personnel on an airfield, consideration has been given to schemes for aligning an empty chamber of the drum with the weapon barrel upon interruption of tiring of a belt of ammunition, but such a solution would require that the weapon be recharged to resume operation thereof.

Attention was therefore directed to means for rotating the chambers out of alignment with the barrel at the end of operation of the weapon for safety of personnel in the aircraft and on the ground from discharge of cartridges in the drum due to any cause. Such a discharge, of course, would damage the weapon.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to provide a safety device to prevent the accidental discharge of a cartridge through the barrel of an automatic revolvertype weapon when the weapon is out of action.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device to prevent the accidental discharge of a cartridge through the barrel of such a weapon due to mechanical shock. A further object of my invention is to provide a de vice to prevent the accidental tiring of a cartridge through the barrel of such a weapon due to electrical malfunction of the weapon.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device for temporarily rotating the drum chambers out ice of the firing position, therefore, to prevent accidental firing of the weapon.

Other aims and objects of my invention will appear' from the following description thereof.

In carrying out my invention, the weapon is provided with a retractor having a cylindrical frame axially se cured to the recoil unit. A reversible motor is securedV to the frame and a ram is disposed in keyed relation with the frame. The motor is provided with a gear reduction unit having a shaft in threaded relation with the ram. The actuator is displaced in a portion of the rearward stroke responsive to operation of the motor in one direction to rotate the chambers to a position where the projectiles of cartridges chambered therein cannot be tired through the barrel of the weapon.

The ram moves forwardly responsive to operation of the motor in the opposite direction to permit the actuator to return to the battery position and again retain a chamber in the firing position.

A pair of limit switches are connected between the motor and the source of power thereof and an actuating rod is slidable in the frame responsive to movement of the ram to engage the limit switches to control operation of the motor in the reverse directions.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference is directed to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a partly broken away elevational view of a weapon incorporating my invention with the actuator in battery position and the retractor in normal position;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the weapon with the retractor retaining the actuator in a safe position of the rearward stroke thereof;

Fig. 3 is a View along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 3 with the chambers rotated out of axial alignment with the barrel;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the actuator corresponding to Fig. 4 with a roller shown in phantom;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the retractor with the actuator in battery position;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the retractor with the actuator in safety position; and

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram of the motor circuit. v

Accordingly, a weapon 12 includes a recoil unit 14 provided with abarrel 16 and slidably disposed on a receiver 18. The recoil unit includes a drum 20 provided with cartridge chambers and corresponding rollers 22. The drum is axised on recoil unit 14 and includes a firing position for the chambers in axial alignment with barrel 16. A chamber 24 having a corresponding roller 26' is shown in Fig. l in the firing position and a cartridge 28 is shown in chamber 24.

An actuator 30 is spring-biased to a battery position as shown in Fig. 1 for engagement of an axial groove 32 thereof with roller 26 to retain chamber 24 in the tiring position. Grooves 34 and 36 of actuator 30 curve oppositely from groove 32 and as the actuator proceeds in the drive stroke, groove 34 engages roller 26 to rotate chamber 24 out of the firing position and a following chamber 38 having a corresponding roller 40 to the tiring position. Drum 20 is decelerated by engagement of rollerV 36 and axial groove 32 in the recoil and counterrecoill strokes. Tongue 42 is actuated by means of a project! ing pin in engagement with a fixed cam (not shown) in' receiver 18.

To prevent accidental discharge of a projectile through barrel 16, actuator 30 may be retracted for engagement of roller 26 with groove 34 to rotate drum 20 to a poi' sition of misalignment with the chambers with barrel 16,

of said directions to permit said actuator to return to said battery position to counterrotate one of said charnbers to said firing position.

7. A weapon comprising a recoil unit, a drum with cartridge chambers axially pivoted on said recoil unit to include a firing position for said chambers, an actuator for engagement with said drum biased to a battery position for selectively retaining said chambers in said firing position and axially disposed for reciprocal slidable operation including rearward strokes to successively rotate said chambers from said tiring position responsive to continued discharge of said weapon and a retractor secured to said recoil unit including an electric motor operable in reverse directions, a member for rearward and forward displacement respectively to project said actuator in a portion of one of said rearward strokes and to permit said actuator to return to said battery position responsive to operation of said motor in said reverse directions, and a pair of switches controlling said motor disposed for respective engagement with said member to limit said rearward and forward displacement.

8. A Weapon comprising a recoil unit, a drum with cartridge chambers axially pivoted on said recoil unit to include a tiring position for said chambers, an actuator for engagement with said drum biased to a battery position for selectively retaining said chambers in said firing position and axially disposed for reciprocal slidable operation including rearward strokes to successively rotate said chambers from said ring position responsive to continued discharge of said weapon and a retractor secured to said recoil unit including an electric motor operable in reverse directions, a member for rearward and forward displacement respectively to project said actuator in a portion of one of said rearward strokes and to permit said actuator to return to said battery position responsive to operation of said motor in said reverse directions, a switch bar operably responsive to said displacement and a pair of spring-biased normally closed switches respectively connected to control operation of said motor in said reverse directions, said switches being operably responsive to said switch bar to stop said motor and limit the operation of said member.

No references cited. 

